Community

The Ms. Colorado Senior America Pageant has 12 amazing contestants from the Denver Metro area, ages 60 to 95, competing for the title of 2018 Ms. Colorado Senior America. These elegant and talented ladies will entertain you with their singing, dancing and comedy and don’t forget the sparkling evening gown competition. Come cheer them on.

Join the Seniors' Council of Douglas County as we present, Vintage & Vibrant, a day-long educational event that will feature a number of exciting workshops and two very special keynote addresses. The morning keynote will be from Karen Brown, the Chair of the 2018 Colorado Strategic Action Planning Group on Aging, and Wade Buchanan, the Governor's Senior Advisor on Aging. During the luncheon keynote, participants will have the opportunity to meet and interact with the Ryan the Robot and her creator Professor Mohammad Mahoor. Ryan was created to assist seniors and those with memory loss remain independent and engaged in the community. Join us for this Douglas County event that brings together older adults, with cutting edge educational sessions and networking opportunities. The event will offer a variety of additional topics that will interest older adults in Douglas County and help ensure our communities are a good place to Live Well and Age Well!

When it comes to aging-related concerns, older LGBT adults worry most about having adequate family and other social support to rely on as they age, discrimination in long-term care (LTC) facilities, and access to LGBT-sensitive services for seniors, according to a new AARP survey. Black and Latino LGBT adults report the greatest concern about future family and social supports, and greater worry about potential abuse in LTC facilities because of their race/ethnicity and sexual orientation/gender identity.

Starting a company in Colorado can, for some, feel intimidating. Colorado is THE place to start a business in the U.S. these days. There is no shortage of entrepreneurs and finding good solid advice over the noise of everyone with an opinion can make anyone throw their hands up. If this is you, stop right there! Flip your perspective and put your hands back down. Colorado represents incredible opportunity to everyone who throws their hats into the ring. The reason we are succeeding as a start-up capital is because we have collectively built a robust community of support for those who have an idea and a work ethic.

Mark your calendar – SATURDAY, JUNE 2. That is the date of the FREE annual document shredding event sponsored by AARP Foundation ElderWatch and the Black Forest Chapter 1100 of AARP. The shredding will be at the Black Forest Lutheran Church 12455 Black Forest Road. Please enter from Black Forest Road. The time is 9 am to 1 pm. Three boxes or paper bags of paper documents will be accepted per car. Please no plastic or 3-ring binders, as they cannot be recycled. You can FIGHT HUNGER at the same time with a nonperishable food or cash donation to the Black Forest Cares food pantry. Questions? Call Ray at 719.495.6767 or Stan at 719.596.6787.

AARP Colorado would like to invite you to Pueblo’s Annual 5 de Mayo Festival, Saturday, May 5, 2018, 12 – 7 p.m. in Bessemer Park.

At some point, we will all need someone to help us. This might be provided by family members, friends, neighbors, professional caregivers or all of the above. Some of us have many people to turn to, others, not as many. This program will help you think through future caregiving needs in an effective way. Many wonderful online resources and other strategies will be explored including CareMaps, Lotsa Helping Hands, and Caring Bridge to identify and help you create future care options. This will be a fascinating way to assess your current “circle of care” and learn how to enhance it – before you need it. This will be led by Jane W. Barton, Author of Caregiving for the GENIUS, and an AARP Caregiving Ambassador. There are two times to choose from:

Are you new to your community — or maybe just looking for ways to get more involved? Why not check out an AARP chapter near you! For example, the Black Forest Chapter is involved in fighting fraud! This will be the 10th year Chapter 1100 has co-hosted this event. Last year 15,800 pounds of paper was professionally shredded and recycled. The 371 individuals, from 18 different postal ZIP Codes, who took advantage of this opportunity to reduce their likelihood of being victimized by a scam or ID theft by taking advantage of our service, also donated 610 pounds of nonperishable food and $1,123 in cash to the Black Forest food pantry. Learn more about the Black Forest Chapter on their website.

In the world of modern business, you often see companies emerging with founders whose combined ages are younger than your classic car. On the other hand, there has been an explosion of new businesses started by older entrepreneurs on their second or third career. But, what about the more narrow slice on the pie chart that is made up of cross-generational partners? Here is the story of one such adventure in idea-generation and execution.

The members of the Black Forest AARP Chapter 1100 and their guests experienced a comprehensive discussion about Stroke and Heart Attack emergency responses at the February 14 meeting. Black Forest Fire and Rescue Assistant Fire Chief, and Paramedic, Jim Rebitski, provided the comprehensive and interesting discussion that covered the physiological aspects of a heart attack and a stroke. He also discussed the physical, hereditary, life style, age, and dietary elements that can contribute to an individual being at a high risk for these distresses. He also answered many questions from the audience. His presentation was especially germane to these subjects since annually more people in the U.S. die of heart disease than cancer, and about one-third of the population currently exhibits some kind of cardio-vascular disease.